Is fear a natural instinct or a spiritual danger?

What is the root problem for us as human beings? What is the root problem at the moment of the Fall itself, and in our daily personal struggles? Sin? Disobedience? Selfishness? Alienation? Pride? Possibly all of these.

But St John, in Chapter 4 of his First Letter, points to something else: Fear. It takes us right back to the Garden of Eden, just after the Fall, when the Lord God goes searching for Adam. And when he speaks to him, Adam replies: ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself’.

St John is very simple: ‘In love there can be no fear, but fear is driven out by perfect love.’ And he even sees the defeat of fear as a sort of test for whether we are ready to enter heaven or not. He writes, ‘Love will come to its perfection in us when we can face the Day of Judgment without fear’.

Is he being harsh and unrealistic? Is it fair to say that fear is a sign that we are not loving? At one level, this doesn’t ring true. Fear, as a human instinct, as a response to difficulties and dangers, seems to be natural and unavoidable; it’s part of a healthy physiology and psychology.

But many of our fears have other causes that are not so innocent, even though they may feel very normal and natural. We are afraid because we can’t get our own way; or because we are too attached to something and scared of losing it; or because we are worrying about what others think of us; or because we won’t trust God and hand over our future to him. These are unhealthy fears, and they stop us loving God and loving others.

Here is a tip: If you notice that you are afraid of something, big or small, don’t just ignore it. Stop. Reflect on it; pray about it; try to see what is at the root of the fear. Very often, this will be a moment of grace; it can lead you to see an area in your life where you are not free, not yet willing to trust God. It can reveal the extent to which you are still hiding, like Adam in the Garden – unable to trust others, to trust the Lord, to trust in his Providence. It can allow you to hear a very personal call from the Lord, to come out, to meet him. And that can lead you to a new step of faith and a new kind of freedom before the Lord.

Yes, perfect love casts out fear. It’s also true that fear, and facing the roots of our fears, can lead us to a deeper love.

(But don’t misunderstand this and get over-analytical! It doesn’t mean that every time we are afraid it is our fault or a sign of sin…)

He seems to be saying a bit more than that; the way he keeps coming back to the theme of love driving out fear – my impression is that he is talking about more than just fear of Judgment (and this seems to be echoed in the experience of the saints – a new sort of freedom and peace they discover in the face of difficulties and dangers); but I may be wrong!

“If you notice that you are afraid of something, big or small, don’t just ignore it. Stop. Reflect on it; pray about it…..[ ]”
Sound advice Father Stephen that I am sure will be taken on board by many readers including me.

Maybe I haven’t pondered this very deeply or from a religion focussed angle so I’m not saying I disagree with you but I perceive the root of society’s problems, and my own weaknesses, as laziness. I will think this post over though!

I think there is an important place for fear – but understood carefully. i have always found the patristic distinctions between fear and anxiety helpful – fear (in the sense of righteous fear – including ‘fear the Lord your God’) can actually be very helpful and important – it has a concrete object and can be thought and reflected on fruitfully, anxiety is always deadening (it is an unhelpful kind of fear – and actually almost different from what is truly meant by fear). Anxiety causes a kind of paralysis of action, it doesn’t have a real and substantial object and it feeds upon itself to our cost. Distinguishing between healthy (and even sometimes good for us and important) fear and anxiety is an important pastoral and spiritual task – anxiety always to be comprehended, stopped in its tracks and banished…

I think it was Frere Luc one of the brothers of the the Monastery of Thiberine who were massacred so horribly who once said ‘La peur c’est la manque de foi.’ As I am prone to suffer from panic attacks I try to remember this and say to myself ‘Do I have Faith. Yes I do so I should not be afraid!’ It does not always work but it does help.

I was rushed to hospital in an ambulance with suspected heart attack and the fear of death, in general, was a 100 times worse than i ever imagined.
Then i prayed to Jesus, Our Lord, and the terrible, nighmarish fear left! And i felt a peace and joy a 100 times greater than i could ever have imagined in such a near-death situation. I even began to joke with the nurse in the ambulance (but i still had a healthy fear that kept me praying and keeping Christ in my mind and heart).
There’s only one answer in life: keep as close to the Lord – mind, heart, prayer and action – as possible during the day, above for the sake of knowing, loving and being loved by God, with a profound part of that, of course, about being prepared – please God – for eventual death).
Dear Lord: please bless all those who are now close to death, that they experience your great peace and joy, and be prepared.

Great post.
I think we should always have a gentle fear of the Lord that hots up when we feel temptation coming our way. But too much fear or, perhaps, the wrong kind of fear can lead to a lack of trust in the Lord that diminishes the Divine Life, Light and Love in us. So we have to pray and focus on loving God and neighbour for the grace that regulates the right amount / the appropriate kind of fear. I think.

About this blog

Looking across the landscape of contemporary culture - at the arts, science, religion, politics, philosophy; sorting through the jumble; seeing what stands out, what unsettles, what intrigues, what connects, what sheds light. Father Stephen Wang is a Catholic priest in the Diocese of Westminster, London. He is currently Senior University Chaplain, based at Newman House Catholic Chaplaincy. [Banner photo with kind permission of Matthew Powell]

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